Looks like this has inspired some lively debate as intended - some good points being made and opinions stated!
One of the things I was trying to bring out was what Chris J just said - the "old order" of Strat enthusiasts is being replaced, or maybe augmented, by a different type of person entirely. It's the sort of person who's into cars, has realised the Stratos is a classic and wants a piece of it, and also sees it as a bit of an "investment" in an exotic car at a cheap price point (compare to values of classics such as E types, Big Healeys, originals, etc.) They don't know anything about the kits themselves and all they see is the shiny Stratos shape, and assume they're all pretty much the same underneath. This is borne out be the similar prices fetched by the two cars I used as examples - Nick's immaculate, low-mileage, beautifully built LB and the yellow THT Hawk which was based on lots of used parts and, I believe, had a 164 12v motor? To us on here there should be an obvious price disparity, and normally there would be - I wasn't trying to say all Strat reps are now worth mid-50k's! But now you've got this new "breed" of buyers appearing, not having done their research, and just hand over the loot.
I personally find it hard to believe that anyone would enter a market like "ours" without doing some research, maybe coming on here, asking questions, etc. But hey, it's their money, their decision, and caveat emptor...
I still believe us on here, though, are a bit behind the curve regarding prices. The world's changed for cars that are "interesting" and "different". As Jim (renmure) said, there's a lot out there with no interest in building a car, and they want their desires satisfied NOW (maybe a bit of the moneyed individual who's used to getting their own way instantly, going on there?) - they'd probably even consider a yellow car with blue wheels :-P
If LB does at some point go turnkey-only, then I assume they'll have some sort of base spec and a price for that car, with a further list of priced options. That'll help stablise uncertainty over prices to some extent, if you know exactly what a new one costs, but that "I want it now!" will still inflate used prices if the waiting list for new is long... interesting times, methinks, but let's not worry too much, eh, cos "what it's worth" is only really important a) if you're buying one, and b) if you're selling yours...till then it's an ace, fun car that takes yonks to get from A to B cos you're too busy fighting off peeps with smartphones taking pics
P.S. who're these "Maglioli" and "Piano" guys???? (I jest, honest!)
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